Sources of Water to the Rio Grande Upstream from San Marcial, New
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Surface-water use is defined as the percent); other categories of surface- discharge has some error associated the following gaging stations represents vegetation, evaporation from open- mountainous regions in the northern volume of surface water diverted or water use include public supply, with it. No attempt has been made to tributary inflow from the San Juan water surfaces, and losses to the part of the watershed are the largest withdrawn from a river channel or commercial, domestic, industrial, quantify the error associated with the Mountains to the Rio Grande: Rio ground-water system. Increases and sources of water to the Rio Grande. source (Wilson and Lucero, 1997, p. 71- mining, thermoelectric, and livestock. mean annual discharge for each gaging Grande at Thirtymile Bridge, near decreases in mean annual discharge may Irrigation, the largest category of 74). After this water has been used, it station. Creede, Colorado (reference no. 1; be estimated for any given reach (the surface-water use in the Rio Grande 3 Sources of Water to the Rio Grande Upstream from may be returned to the river channel (for To evaluate water use in different 214 ft /s), Willow Creek at Creede, area of the watershed between any two watershed, generally results in 3 gaging stations) of the Rio Grande by decreases in mean annual discharge example, by return flows from parts of the watershed and to examine At some locations in the watershed, Colorado (reference no. 3; 22 ft /s), San Marcial, New Mexico agricultural areas) or it may leave the possible causes of variations in particularly in agricultural areas, water comparing all measured inflow (which throughout the surface-water system. Goose Creek at Wagon Wheel Gap, 11 12 surface-water system (for example, by discharge throughout the watershed, the moves downstream in the Rio Grande 3 includes mean annual discharge at the Mean annual discharge in the Rio By Stephanie J. Moore , Scott K. Anderholm , Tara Williams-Sether , and John M. Stomp Colorado (reference no. 5; 68 ft /s), evapotranspiration from agricultural watershed was divided into five reaches and in other channels adjacent to the upstream gaging station as well as that Grande generally decreases 12 areas). Water not returned to the river that were based primarily on locations Rio Grande such as agricultural canals South Fork Rio Grande at South Fork, of any tributaries) with all measured downstream from the confluence with U.S. Geological Survey, City of Albuquerque--Water Resources Management 3 channel is referred to as depletion and of gaging stations (fig. 1). Surface- or drains. At New Mexico gaging Colorado (reference no. 6; 226 ft /s), outflow (the mean annual discharge at the Rio Chama. results in a decrease in discharge. As water use in the five reaches is shown in stations Rio Chama near Chamita and Conejos River near Lasauses, the downstream gaging station). In Introduction inches per year in the mountainous Divide) affect both the Rio Grande and 3 used herein, surface-water use does not figure 2 as a percentage of total surface- (reference no. 36), Rio Grande at San Colorado (reference no. 18; 193 ft /s). some cases, relatively small increases References areas to greater than 70 inches per year the Rio Chama. include evapotranspiration by riparian water use in 1990 (1,570,000 acre-feet). Felipe (reference no. 45), and Rio Mean annual discharge at the following or decreases may be due to the error The Rio Grande watershed is a near San Marcial (Ellis and others, associated with the computed mean 1993). Actual evapotranspiration (the Effluent discharge from wastewater- vegetation or evaporation from open- Reach 2 had the largest amount of Grande at Albuquerque (reference no. gaging stations represents tributary Ellis, S.R., Levings, G.W., Carter, L.F., complex hydrologic system that annual discharge at particular gaging total water removed from an area by treatment plants provides inflow to the water surfaces. surface-water use. Reaches 1 and 4 had 48), discharge is computed only in the inflow from the Sangre de Cristo Richey, S.F., and Radell, M.J., 1993, includes numerous tributaries, inflow stations. transpiration from plants and Rio Grande surface-water system. The relatively little surface-water use. Rio Grande; therefore, discharge Mountains to the Rio Grande: Red River Rio Grande Valley, Colorado, New from transmountain diversions, evaporation from soil, snow, and water Albuquerque wastewater-treatment Water use is affected by many Water use in the different reaches varies moving downstream through the below Fish Hatchery, near Questa, New Mexico, and Texas: Water Resources irrigation diversions, agricultural return 3 As shown in figure 1, most increases surfaces) is always less than potential plant is the largest in the watershed; factors such as population, climate, and because of allocations that are based on surface-water system is greater than Mexico (reference no. 22; 85 ft /s), Rio Bulletin, v. 29, no. 4, p. 617-645. flows, reservoirs, and ground-water legal constraints. The Rio Grande the Rio Grande Compact and locations that computed in the Rio Grande. At Pueblo de Taos below Los Cordovas, in discharge along the Rio Grande are inflows and outflows. Many people evapotranspiration because it is limited daily mean discharge from that plant to caused by tributary inflow. In some by available moisture (Linsley and the Rio Grande ranged from about 75 to Compact appropriates water use in the of irrigable land. New Mexico gaging stations Rio 3 Linsley, R.K., and Franzini, J.B., 1972, depend on and are affected by the Rio New Mexico (reference no. 24; 81 ft /s), cases, increases in mean annual Franzini, 1972, p. 33). 3 Rio Grande watershed. The States of Grande below Cochiti Dam (reference Water resources engineering: Grande, which is the largest river of the 100 cubic feet per second (ft /s) from Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas no. 43), Rio Grande Floodway near and Embudo Creek at Dixon, New discharge in the Rio Grande or Rio Sources of Water to the Rio 3 surface-water system draining the Rio 1985 to 1998 (U.S. Army Corps of Mexico (reference no. 26; 99 ft /s). McGraw Hill, 690 p. agreed upon the Compact for "the Grande Bernardo (reference no. 50), Rio Chama cannot be fully accounted for by Grande watershed. To provide The numerous tributaries in the Rio Engineers, 2002). the tributary inflow shown in figure 1. Grande watershed can be classified as purpose of effecting an equitable Grande Floodway at San Acacia Richey, S.F., and Ellis, S.R., 1993, information to further the apportionment of water in the Rio (reference no. 58), and Rio Grande Most water in the Rio Chama comes This could be due to inflow from either perennial or ephemeral. Perennial Reservoirs in the Rio Grande Mean annual discharge (the National Water Quality Assessment understanding of the Rio Grande Grande" (Rio Grande Compact Floodway at San Marcial (reference no. from the southern San Juan Mountains. ungaged tributaries (tributaries where tributaries flow throughout the year, watershed (fig. 1) are generally arithmetic mean of the annual mean Program--Water use in the Rio surface-water system, the U.S. Commission, 2001, p. 18), and surface- 60), discharge is computed in the Rio The mean annual discharge at gaging streamflow is not measured) or to whereas ephemeral tributaries are dry operated for water storage, sediment discharge for every year in a given Grande Valley, 1990: U.S. Geological Geological Survey, in cooperation with water use in those States is restricted by Grande and in other major channels station Rio Chama near Chamita, New ground-water inflow. For example, most of the year and flow only in removal, flood control, or some period) for 60 gaging stations 3 Survey Open-File Report the City of Albuquerque, evaluated Compact delivery obligations. adjacent to the Rio Grande; at these Mexico (reference no. 36; 649 ft /s), between gaging stations Rio Grande at response to snowmelt or intense combination of these uses. Reservoirs throughout the Rio Grande watershed 93-456, p. 1. streamflow data computed by the U.S. locations, the discharge computed in represents tributary inflow from the Thirtymile Bridge, near Creede, rainfall. The Rio Chama, which is the can alter discharge because the upstream from San Marcial is shown in Geological Survey at 60 streamflow- each channel was summed to represent southern San Juan Mountains and Colorado (reference no. 1), and Rio largest tributary to the Rio Grande, impounded water can be "lost" by An acre-foot is the quantity of water figure 1. To eliminate the comparison of Rio Grande Compact Commission, gaging stations. This fact sheet the total discharge moving downstream includes transmountain diversions to Grande at Wagon Wheel Gap, Colorado enters the Rio Grande upstream from evaporation or by infiltration (seepage) required to cover 1 acre to a depth of 1 data from periods of varying climatic 2001, Report of the Rio Grande examines the sources of water to the Rio through the surface-water system (fig. the Rio Chama, which are measured at (reference no. 4), approximately 320 the streamflow-gaging station Rio to the surrounding ground-water foot and is equivalent to 43,560 cubic conditions, water years 1975-98 were 3 Compact Commission 2000, 68 p. Grande and the "water balance" of the 1, table 1). gaging station Azotea Tunnel at Outlet, ft /s can be attributed to ungaged Rio Grande surface-water system Grande at Otowi Bridge, near San system. In addition, changes in feet or 325,851 gallons. chosen as a common period of record Ildefonso, New Mexico (fig. 1, near Chama, New Mexico (reference tributaries and ground-water inflow. U.S.